Shuichi's Trial of True Love
by professorprowriting
Summary: Shuichi feels deeply. But he doesn't really feel deeply for his abusive boyfriend Kibo. Instead, he longs for the forbidden. His friendships seem to be blurring lines. Will anyone be enough to save him from the fate he's resigned himself to? (V3)


AN; In this AU, Kibo is a real boy, okay? Thanks.

Chapter One

Hesitantly, I open my eyes. A thick, white strand of hair rests near my upper lip, brushing it every time I breathe in. I feel the blood in my temples start to boil. Here we go again…

"Kibo," I groan, slapping his arm off of my waist. "Seriously, you gotta stop falling asleep after we do stuff…"

Kibo seemed to pop right up after I had said this. It clearly wasn't sitting well with him. His face was turning a dark red color as he looked away, trying to retain his composure. "S-Shuichi, I just wanted to-"

"Look," I sighed, sitting up and pulling a sheet over myself. To cover myself. "I liked you and everything, Kibo, but like I said, it was basically a need by need basis thing, you know?"  
Kibo nodded, remembering the agreement they had earlier. "However, Shuichi, I did ask you out on a date before, and you did say yes."  
I nodded grumpily, "Yeah, sure that happened and everything…" I paused. "That was before you started beating me, Kibo!"

Kibo flinched, the wound still fresh. "You know I didn't mean to…" His voice was a hot whisper. "It's just...when I drink, I'm not really in control of myself…"

I felt the tears start to boil over my bottom lids. It was a touchy subject for me as well. "You know...I just...It's hard to love you when I don't know how you're going to act at any given time…"

Kibo sat in silent, looking down at his own hands. After awhile, he gained the strength to look up at me. His eyes bounced back and forth between the deep purple bruises all over my white, pale skin. He flinched once again, this time, letting out a soft groan of inner conflict. "I just love drinking so much…"  
"You sure do…" I sighed, feeling powerless. I looked over to the bottles, all empty, strewn all over Kibo's bedroom. "You love wine and I think you need to stop…"  
Kibo shook his head, "I tried that already, remember? I'm just so addicted to it."  
"You could try again." I said under my breathe. How much longer could I deal with all these bruises I have? I do love him and everything, but I just can't deal with any more…

"I tried again, remember? It didn't work either. I'm just too addicted…"

The silence was deafening. It was something that was probably ringing in both of our ears. Trying to distract myself, I counted all the bottles laying around the floor. 1, 2...78 bottles on the floor. How was it possible he even drank all these last night? I had just cleaned the apartment for him while he was at work yesterday. He came home and opened one bottle and the next thing I know there's suddenly 78 bottles on the floor. Most of the money he makes from his job even just goes to the 78 bottles he drinks a night.

Sometimes he's loving but sometimes, especially when he's drunk, he just is horrible and mean. I can't keep trying to hide my bruises from my friends.

Kibo doesn't even like me hanging out with my friends anymore. I try to go out when Kibo is at work but I end up coming home smelling like my friends and that sends Kibo into a blind rage.

Kibo, sensing the end of the conversation, got up, scratching his head as he made his way to the bathroom. "I don't even remember what we did last night!" He shouted from the toilet as he peed loudly. "Was it good?"

I rolled my eyes at his vulgar question. Was it good? I scoffed silently. When was the last time it was actually 'good'? I tried as hard as I could, struggling to seriously remember a time it was good.  
"It was good." I lied.

"Oh, cool." He said back, having to shout it so I could hear it. "You did it again, Kibo!"

I heard him high five himself. He does this whenever he thinks he's done something good. I stopped high fiving him back after a while. It used to be something we did together when our relationship was just starting out. But after he started beating him, I got scared the high fives were actually going to be slaps. So he had to learn to do it himself. It's pathetic, and it's one of the few things that makes me feel like I'm better than him.

He emerged from the bathroom, having not washed his hands and having not put on any clothes yet.

My vision averted his dangling manhood.

"Hey, babe!" He groaned lazily. "Wanna hit the dining hall and grab some breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry…" I mumbled out quietly, hugging a pillow to my chest.  
"Maybe your hungry for a little bit of this? Sausage?" He attempted to entice me. I could see him waving his hips around from the corner of my eye.  
"No, I'll go to the dining hall." I stood up, shrugging on my clothes. "Let's go…"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

I sat at the table, pushing around the food in front of me.  
Kibo sat next to me, digging into his own plate like he was never going to eat again in his life.

The others at the table sat in an awkward silence, looking back and forth between me and Kibo.

"Wow, Kibo! Eatin' that sausage like it's a real sausage, huh!?" Miyu spat out the sentence in between large heaving laughs, slapping her leg as she held a fork that has taken hold of her own sausage. "Just like me, EH!?"  
Laughter erupted from her alone.

"Well, I did my own damage on the sausage last night if you know what I mean!" Kibo roared with her.

Damage? I thought sadly. In more ways than one…If only they knew…

"So…" My best friend Kaito spoke up, clearing his throat. I think that statement Kibo just made embarrassed Kaito somehow. I guess he wouldn't want to know those kinds of specific details from his best friend's lover, right…? "Shuichi, I was wondering if you-"  
"Nah!" Kibo groaned, leaning over and stabbing a sausage from my plate and sticking it in his own disgusting mouth. "Shuu-Shuu and I have plans today." He said matter of factly. More like matter of liely because it was a lie.

"Oh, well, you didn't even let Shuichi hear what I was going to ask him to do today." Kaito's slightly thick eyebrows furrowed, glaring at Kibo's general direction. "You can't make decisions for him anyways! He's a grown man and can make his own choices."  
"Stupid." Kibo shook his head, taking a spoonful of eggs and shoveling it his mouth. Also from my plate, by the way. "We're still teenagers, but we're in our late-teens. That doesn't mean we're adults, stupid."

"We didn't need you to tell us how old we are." Me and Kaito's other best friend Maki said, dryly. Sitting next to Kaito, of course. Rumor has it that they are an item. It makes me feel a little left out, to be honest. But I think if it were true, I would be happy for them...

"Yeah, well you seem like you needed a reminder." Kibo snorted.

Miyu stood up and held her fist out for Kibo to pound. He agreed and stood up and did so. Bam. They pounded fists and laughed together at their mutual victory over what they like to call the loserz group. They like to call themselves the winnerz group. Personally, I favor the alternate spelling of the wienerz group. I flinched, feeling like even making that joke in my head was dangerous. Usually if I said something like that out loud, Kibo would beat me down. Usually with a brutal punch to kidney. Or sometimes the liver or even the stomach.

I couldn't bring myself to look at Kaito for a full glance. Instead I looked over with just a half of one. When I met his eyes, it was a surprising look of worry or concern or both?

"WELL!" Kibo announced, standing up and throwing his tray to the wall. "I gotta piss." He yawned, standing up and running full speed to the men's room.

"I will join you!" Miyu sprinted after him.

Left in silence, me and my friends couldn't help but stare at each other.

Kaito and I regained a lost eye contact that was intense. Everything else around us just disappeared and it was like a white void was enveloping us. The white void exploded revealing a supernova. The gravity between us pulled us closer and closer together until there was barely any space at all. Like suddenly that Kibo was gone, nothing could pull us apart again.

His eyes were like a field of lavender flowers, infusing themselves with cleaning properties, reminding me of the mostly used up bar of soap I would use when I forgot my bathroom stuff when I visited my grandmother's house. It was comforting and made me feel like I could finally rest at ease.

His eyebrows furrowed slightly with a hint of concern, but seemingly not wanting to alarm me.

"Yo, are you okay, dude?" His voice was rough, but firm.

"I-I-I'm fine…" I stuttered out, not wanting to alert him to any negative things happening. I didn't want him to think I was too weak to stand beside him. Kaito is always a brave and I can barely gather enough strength to tell Kibo no. Sometimes I can't…

But with Kaito, I at least wanted to pretend I was strong enough. Strong like him.

Something in his smile gave me enough strength to put on a show.

He patted my back roughly, slapping me back and forth with each loud tap.

"WELL, GOOD!" He exclaimed, giving a less than intelligent grin. "It looks like that training is paying off, then!"

I smiled half heartedly, shrugging and stuttering out an agreement.

Time had seemingly stopped as he addressed me, making everything seem okay. At least until I heard it.

"Hey, guys, I'm back!" It was Kibo's shrill and menacing voice, echoing throughout the entire cafeteria. He threw his arm around my neck, tugging tightly. I couldn't breathe. I was choking. He was doing this on purpose. He was so jealous of Kaito.

"Yeah, I'm back, too." It was Miyu. Everyone ignored her.

"Well, me and my honey are gonna go make love back in our room now. See you." Kibo waved everyone off and made his way to the dorms, dragging me in his arms.

As we pushed through the doors, I locked eyes with Kokichi Ouma. He stared deep into my orbs, his slowing down my time as he looked on. Judging.


End file.
